New Delhi, Jan. 31 -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said that he anticipates the United States to "respect Canadian sovereignty", following reports that State Department officials had met with separatists from Alberta, the oil-rich western province.

A group called the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) has been granted permission to gather signatures for a referendum aimed at making the western province an independent country. An independence vote could take place as early as this fall, though current polls suggest the separatists would be unlikely to succeed, according to an AFP report.

The Financial Times reported that leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project have met with US State Department officials in Washington o...